Sgt. Isaac Ramos credits his years in Royal Canadian Air Cadets for his outlook on life.

The young man stole the show, when it was my job to do it. I had just finished a 30-minute talk at a military dinner in Etobicoke. There were about a hundred young people in the audience, members of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets (RCAC) No. 700 Squadron. I thought my talk – about the romance of aviation and the roots of national service – had gone well. I had managed to capture and keep the attention 12- to 18-year-olds. The end of my talk brought a genuine thank-you from a young warrant officer. Then a young man with sergeant’s stripes on his sleeve rose to speak.

“Four years ago, I was an irresponsible kid. I didn’t get along with my parents. I bad-mouthed everybody,” he said. “But today in the cadets it’s just the opposite.”

Sgt. Isaac Ramos was about to step down as the President of the Mess Committee (PMC). But standing there in front of his peers and holding the gavel of authority, the teenager wanted to make a couple of points in departing. He wanted to thank the Royal Canadian Air Cadets and the league that sponsors them for the impact on his life. But he also felt motivated to encourage the younger cadets to follow in his footsteps.

“Get involved,” Ramos said. “It’ll make a difference in your life.”

Throughout the mess dinner, the cadets sat at banquet tables and enjoyed prepared meals and drinks (Pepsi and ginger ale). The young men and women engaged in mock arguments and dispensing of justice over such things as illegal passing of notes, cross-table conversation and improper use of cell phones. Meanwhile, I sat at the head table with members of the sponsoring committee and the commanding officers (adults) who direct the RCAC programming. I learned that the Department of National Defence funds about 450 squadrons like No. 700, in total about 23,000 Air Cadets. During four years of membership, cadets gain instruction in citizenship, leadership, survival training and the basics of aviation and aeronautics.

“The pinnacle of cadet training are gliding and flying scholarships for qualified cadets,” the CO said.

“That’s what these young people strive for?” I asked.

“That’s right,” he said. “About 20 per cent of private pilots in Canada are ex-Air Cadets.”

Which means that the extracurricular studies, physical training, support of the annual Poppy campaign and other community service activities all come from the heart of each squadron’s youth ranks. And if Sgt. Ramos was to be believed, the RCAC also cultivates tomorrow’s leaders.

I thought about such tangible benefits to society in the wake of the comments of a Toronto councillor this week. Coun. Doug Ford (the Toronto mayor’s brother) wants the Toronto district school board to circulate brochure material published by the creators of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The brochure, according to the Toronto Star, touts something called UFC Community Works, a program promoting “discipline, respect, teamwork, honesty, time management and physical fitness.” In other words, the Toronto councillor would like to see the TDSB embrace the UFC’s promotional values, while bringing its commercial values of no-holds-barred pugilism into Toronto schools.

I suspect most have seen these so-called UFC exhibitions of strength and endurance during which opponents conduct slug fests with the rewards going to the last man standing. The marriage of that sort of commercial exploitation of violence and the UFC’s endorsement of discipline and time management rang rather hollow to me. But then, in a civic atmosphere that would prefer to see fewer library hours and less public swimming time in favour of an international amusement park on the Lake Ontario shoreline, why should anyone be surprised? One hopes the TDSB recognizes the wolf in sheep’s clothing and refuses UFC entry to its hallways and students’ minds.

When a lot of us were younger, there were plenty of extracurricular institutions where we could find the answers to questions about relationship building, appropriate behaviour and positive attitudes. Some found their way via Boys Scouts or Girl Guides. Others learned leadership skills in Red Cross swimming programs or team-building at local outlets of the YMCA or YWCA.

Founded in 1946, the Royal Canadian Air Cadets organization currently numbers 23,000.

I found Scouts uninspiring and didn’t have a YMCA close by. I found inspiration from intramural hockey and baseball and a public school coach named Mike Malott. He taught us how to play hard, depend on each other and win or lose with dignity and pride. “It’s about giving, not about getting,” Coach Malott always said.

Clearly, young Sgt. Ramos had chosen to explore his options in the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. There was no guarantee he would ever become either a civilian or military aviator. But along the way he had learned respect for his peers, a love for his country and a strong sense of himself.

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U.S. Stalag Luft III PoW group honours Ted

The Great Escape: A Canadian Story has received its first recognition in the United States. In late August 2014, members of the Stalag Luft III Prisoners of War Association in the U.S. presented Ted Barris with a “Certificate of Honor" for his work on publishing the historical account of the famous 1944 breakout in the Second World War.

Ted does TEDx Talk

On May 8, 2013, Ted Barris spoke to students of St. Mary Catholic Secondary School in Durham Region (east of Toronto). The original TED Talk presentation posed the question: Why should young people reflect on war and veterans?

2014 Libris Award

During a gala ceremony in Toronto, on June 2, the annual Libris Awards were presented. Ted Barris’s book, “The Great Escape: A Canadian Story,” received the 2014 Libris Best Non-Fiction Book Award, sharing the honour with Chris Hadfield for his book “An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth.” In presenting the award, host Terry Fallis explained the criteria: “The award for non-fiction book of the year goes to a Canadian work of non-fiction published in 2013 that made a lasting impression on the Canadian book selling industry, through wide media attention, increased traffic to bookstores and strong sales.”

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal

During an awards ceremony at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum on Oct. 14, 2012, Sen. Joseph Day presented Ted Barris with a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. The announcement issued with the award said, in part, “the medal is a visible and tangible way to recognize outstanding Canadians … who have built and continue to build this caring society and country through their service and achievements.”

Commendation

On July 27, 2011, the Minister of Veterans Affairs for Canada awarded 19 citizens his annual commendation. Traditionally, the award is “presented to those veterans … who, in an exemplary way, have contributed either to the care and well-being of veterans or to the remembrance of the sacrifices and achievements of Canadians in armed conflict.”

Most of the 2011 recipients are veterans. Ted Barris, a civilian, also received the commendation.

About Ted Barris

Barris is an accomplished author, journalist and broadcaster. As well as hosting stints on CBC Radio and regular contributions to the Globe and Mail and National Post, Barris has authored 16 non-fiction books and is a full-time professor of journalism at Centennial College in Toronto. He has also written a weekly newspaper column - The Barris Beat - for more than 20 years.

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